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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24491326">a quiet thing, to fall</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ireliss/pseuds/Ireliss'>Ireliss</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Space, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Dreamsharing, Force Bond (Star Wars), M/M, Secrets</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 04:42:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,888</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24491326</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ireliss/pseuds/Ireliss</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jedi never take adults for training. Erik Lehnsherr, as usual, proves to be the exception to the rule. The ways of the Jedi are stifling and uncomfortable, but at least he has Charles with him  — although that comes with its own set of problems. Although the Code strictly forbids attachment, the Force bond between them grows stronger every single day, and then there's the matter of the dark dreams that haunt Charles' sleep...</p>
<p>(Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic AU.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Cherik Week 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>a quiet thing, to fall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The air is alive with electricity, flickering shadows burned away by the unrelenting blue glow of a lightsaber. The Force is an agitated tide around him, fear acrid in the back of his throat – no, that’s not right, what does he have to be afraid of? He is–</p>
<p>“Stand down, Revan!” He shouts, but his voice is not his own. “We have you surrounded.”</p>
<p>Crimson light wells and with it the Force <em>surges – </em>the splintering of the ship’s hull – billowing waves of black smoke – Charles’ face pale with shock – <em>betrayal– </em></p>
<p>Erik jerks awake with a start. He’s already out of his narrow bunk bed before he registers himself moving, sweeping out of the crew quarters without a backward glance. Behind him comes the sound of quick footsteps, and it’s no surprise when he turns to see Charles following him, his face every bit as pale as it had been in the dream.</p>
<p>By unspoken agreement, Erik slows his stride, allowing Charles to fall into step beside him.</p>
<p>“Some tea, I think,” Charles suggests, voice steady, nothing at all like the grim shouting of the dream.</p>
<p>“Your cure-all,” Erik says wryly, but changes direction anyway. The kitchen of the <em>Ebon Hawk </em>is tiny – smuggling ships aren’t built for comfort – so Erik simply leans against the wall and stays out of the way as Charles bustles around. The young Jedi’s hair is rumpled from sleep, a worried frown pinching the corners of his mouth. His sleeping tunic hangs loosely around him; Erik can’t resist darting a glance at the dip of his collarbone, the pale flash of his wrists. He can feel Charles watching him in return, but neither of them say anything. Not yet.</p>
<p>Soon enough, they’re both holding a steaming mug of tea each. The Force pulses between them, sparking with restless energy. Sitting still is the farthest thing from Erik’s mind at the moment, so he leads the way up to the deck, where the vast expanse of space stretching out beyond the viewport at least gives the illusion of freedom.</p>
<p>“It’s beautiful, isn’t it,” Charles murmurs. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of watching it.”</p>
<p>“What, space?”</p>
<p>“Of course. All those lives out there, and the Force connecting them…”</p>
<p>“The Force. Right.”</p>
<p>“You sound skeptical, Erik.” Charles turns to face him, the lines of worry on his young face deepening. “I know you’re new to the ways of the Jedi, but you have such a deep connection to the Force. Do you still doubt its power?”</p>
<p>“It’s not the power of the Force I doubt.” How could he, when every touch of the Force feels inexplicably like <em>home, </em>like rediscovering a memory long forgotten? “It’s…”</p>
<p>Erik has never struggled for words but he finds himself at a loss now, and Charles is still <em>watching </em>him, face so pale as to be bloodless. Not for the first time, Erik thinks: <em>You’re hiding something.</em></p>
<p>He shakes his head. “Never mind. I’d rather talk about those dreams of yours.”</p>
<p>For a second, Charles looks like he’s about to argue, but then he exhales sharply. “You’re right. You should know. Was that the first time you saw that particular dream?”</p>
<p>“I don’t think so.” It’s not the first time they’ve shared dreams and it all bleeds together sometimes. Erik takes a sip of his tea, watching Charles’ face as he tries to remember, but it’s like trying to catch smoke. “You know how dreams are. Parts of it are familiar, but who knows if it’s because I’ve dreamt it before or if it’s because it reminded me of something I’ve experienced while I was awake?”</p>
<p>“Tell me what you saw.”</p>
<p>“You, on the bridge of some ship. You had your lightsaber out. You were – I think you were fighting, or maybe you were getting ready to fight. The details weren’t very clear.”</p>
<p>Charles’ eyes bore into him, gravely intent. “Do you know who I was fighting?”</p>
<p>“You said a name. Revan.”</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>“The Sith lord. The one that died a year ago.” Something flutters at the edge of his consciousness, but before Erik can grab hold of the thought, it dissolves away into nothing. “You killed Revan?”</p>
<p>“I-…” Charles stops. Bites his lip. Then the words spill out of him, an admission hastily flung out as though holding it in for any longer would burn. “Revan had someone very dear to me.”</p>
<p>That’s the first time Erik’s heard of anything like that. He thinks. Or had somebody mentioned it before? Or maybe it was something he had picked up unconsciously, during one of his shared dreams with Charles…</p>
<p>Erik’s head throbs. “I thought Jedi didn’t believe in attachments. Or killing, for that matter.”</p>
<p>Charles finally looks away, shaking his head slightly as he glances into the endless expanse of space stretching before them. “Unfortunately, we often fall short of our ideals.”</p>
<p>Outwardly, Charles looks calm, but Erik can feel distress spiking along their bond. He takes a step closer. “Nobody’s perfect. No ideals are perfect either.” <em>The Jedi’s least of all, </em>a voice growls, and the ache in Erik’s head grows sharper still, barbed with fang and claw.</p>
<p>Charles’ lips press together, his fingers rubbing slowly at his temple. “Those are dangerous thoughts to have, my friend.”</p>
<p>“What’s more dangerous is blind obedience,” Erik growls. “You <em>know</em> that, I’ve heard some of your doubts–”</p>
<p>“It was a mistake, I should never have told yo–”</p>
<p>“<em>Charles</em>.”</p>
<p>Charles goes quiet, but his agitation thrums through the Force, a dark current running between the two of them.</p>
<p>Carefully, Erik picks his next words. “You know I enjoy our debates. You shouldn’t have to hide who you are, what you think.”</p>
<p>He knows, instantly, that he’s missed the mark. The dark ripples in the Force grow and deepen – then, nothing. Charles had slammed a door on their connection.</p>
<p>“Charles?”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry.” Charles exhales slowly, not quite meeting Erik’s eyes. The absence of his presence in the Force feels like a wound. “The dream has me on edge. That was a – difficult time of my life. You shouldn’t have had to experience it. The Council entrusted me with teaching you serenity, and this is quite the opposite of that.”</p>
<p>“It’s not your fault,” Erik says, voice calm. Quietly, he reaches for their connection, but Charles is still keeping it closed off. “You’ve said before that we’re sharing dreams because of this Force bond between us, and that it’s out of anyone’s control. Have you found out more about it?”</p>
<p>“Force bonds are rare.” Charles’ hands twist around his mug. “And you know the Jedi code discourages…attachment. We need to be careful. Both of us.”</p>
<p>“Careful? Of getting attached?” Too late for that, Erik thinks. It’s only been a few weeks since the Sith attack that had changed his life: he had been nothing but an ordinary worker on Charles’ ship back then, but when Charles was captured, Erik had found himself leading the rescue effort. Somehow, in the middle of all that chaos, a bond had sprang to life between the two of them the instant they set eyes on each other. Charles had speculated that Erik was Force-sensitive.</p>
<p>After a fierce interplanetary pursuit that saw them seeking refuge in a hidden Jedi enclave, the Jedi Council confirmed what Charles had suspected. Erik is strong in the force – so strong that the Council had decided to buck their own traditions and take on an adult for training.</p>
<p>And now he and Charles are on their first mission for the Order, searching for some mysterious relic of the Sith. They hadn’t known each other for long, but Charles had already shattered each and every one of Erik’s preconceptions. Jedi are supposed to be a force for good in the way sages or prophets or monks are – an Order of people that exists somewhere above the common man, mysterious and untouchable in their power.</p>
<p>But Charles is different. He’s – in a word, <em>human. </em>He has some of that lofty, detached wisdom of the Council’s Masters, but he’s still his own man, with a surprising streak of wicked charm that had enthralled Erik from the moment they met. More than that, Charles is a visionary. Oh, he’s skilled at parroting the Jedi teachings, but he’s nothing like those pious, obedient drones Erik had seen around the Enclave. Charles has his own ideas, and more than once Erik had seen his doubts about the Order’s stagnation shining through.</p>
<p>“Erik?” Charles’ voice pulls him back to the present. “You look miles away, I could almost feel you thinking.” Charles taps at the side of his head, an unconscious little gesture he had adopted whenever he starts talking about their bond.</p>
<p>Erik watches him carefully. “I thought you cut off our Force bond.”</p>
<p>Charles’ mouth quirks into a self-deprecating smile. “I’m afraid that’s impossible. You and I, we’re stuck together, possibly forever.”</p>
<p>“What happens if one of us dies?”</p>
<p>Charles stares at him for a second, then barks out a laugh. “Do you have to make everything about death and destruction?”</p>
<p>Erik grins, a slow baring of his teeth. “Someone has to think about these things. Come on, answer the question.”</p>
<p>And just like that, Charles’ mirth dims. “It’s impossible to say for sure, of course, but there’s no reason why the surviving party won’t be fine. We’re little more than strangers, after all. Strangers thrown together by the Force.”</p>
<p><em>Strangers? </em>“That’s not really what you think.” A spark of anger flares in Erik’s chest. “Don’t lie, Charles. Not to me.”</p>
<p>Turning away, Charles rests his back against the glass, rubbing a hand tiredly over his face. “Erik, please. Whatever it is you want from me, I can’t give it to you.”</p>
<p>“Have the Jedi forbidden even friendship now?”</p>
<p>“No, of course not. But we both know…”</p>
<p>Erik presses his advantage, stepping closer to crowd Charles against the glass. “Know what?”</p>
<p>Charles, damn him, doesn’t even react to the invasion of his personal space with anything other than a quick flickering look of reprimand. “We both know that nothing good can come from acting impulsively. You must let go of this, Erik. There’s more at stake than you can ever imagine.”</p>
<p>Erik scoffs. “You Jedi and your hyperbole.”</p>
<p>“<em>Us</em> Jedi,” Charles corrects immediately. His frown deepens; Erik had never seen him look so troubled before, not even when he was surrounded by Sith troops. He reaches out, tentative, but his touch is warm when it rests against the crook of Erik’s elbow. “You’re one of us.”</p>
<p>Is he really? Most of the time, Erik doesn’t feel so sure, and it’s not only because of the newness of the situation. The title of Jedi rests uneasily on him, like a threadbare glove he’s outgrown long ago.</p>
<p>But Charles is watching him with wide, imploring eyes, and Erik is in no mood for another lecture on the dark side that neither of them wholly believe in. They both know the galaxy is more complicated than light and dark, good and evil.</p>
<p>“This isn’t over,” he warns, and Charles lets out a low sigh.</p>
<p>“I know.” He smiles anyway, warm and crooked, cheek dimpling. “But let’s enjoy what we have while it lasts.”</p>
<p>“However long that might be,” Erik concedes.</p>
<p>As it turns out, it doesn’t last for very long at all.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yes, yes, I know that was probably an incredibly niche AU, but if anyone is curious, <a href="https://irelise.tumblr.com/post/617386891023712256/irelise-what-greater-weapon-is-there-than-to">here are more details</a>!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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